Gotta be somebody
by CSIobsessed444
Summary: A visitor that Adam didn't expect comes to NYC and teaches the whole lab a few lessons on life, love, and everything in between. kinda fluffy. Completed!
1. Upside Down

Upside Down, Chapter 1

Note: All of the Chapter titles will be song titles, but may not necessarily contain the lyrics to that song. I don't own the show or any of the characters, nor do I own the lyrics.

Adam Ross yawned as he stared at the computer screen, more tired than he had ever been. He had decided to watch all of the Godfather movies the night before with Detective Don Flack and CSI Danny Messer, who he had become friends with over his time at the lab, and didn't end up sleeping much at all, just here and there. They had started a little late because Lindsay Monroe was moving her stuff into Danny's place and it took longer than expected, but Adam didn't care. It was the most fun he had had in a while, and reminded him of when he was a kid and he would pull all nighters having movie marathons. He'd spend the whole day after puking from too much popcorn and trying to sleep, though he'd never like naps or took them past preschool. He closed his eyes to remember when he fell asleep. Was it during the second or third movie?

He snapped out of his daydream as the computer dinged, signaling that CODIS found a match to the fingerprints Danny found at a crime scene. Another yawn escaped Adam's mouth as he called Danny and informed him of the latest discovery. When he shut his cell phone, he groaned, realizing that it was only 10:30 AM. It wasn't just the sleep deprivation; today felt very long in particular. Mac Taylor, his boss and head of the lab, had been trying to figure out how the budget could afford to keep Adam and the other six lab techs, while getting the DNA machines the lab had waited on for six months already. Stella Bonasera, Mac's right hand woman, was dying for the machines, and she had nothing against Adam; in fact, they were becoming good friends in the past few months. It's just that they would put the lab very technologically ahead, and so many cases were pushed aside because they didn't have the time or enough people to process evidence fast enough. Still, Adam was a little hurt by Stella's push for the machines, but he knew he had to let it go and it couldn't afflict his job, so he did just that.

Sheldon Hawkes, ME turned CSI, came in with a hard drive for Adam to process just then. Adam took it, glad to take his mid off his pending job status with more work. "This was found plugged into the victim's computer. The suspect may have had something on there he didn't want our vic to read, so look thoroughly." He noticed the circles under Adams eyes and laughed. "Wild night Adam?"

This comment didn't amuse Adam, and he frowned as he snatched the hard drive and stuck into the computer. A number of documents popped up almost instantly, including an email between the lead suspect and the vic an hour before the murder. "Great, we can interrogate him now. Thanks Adam!" Hawkes called behind him, already heading out the door and dialing Mac's cell phone number.

"No Problem!" Adam yelled, but Hawkes was too busy filling in Mac and Danny at the same time to notice. Figures, he shrugged as he sorted all of the documents and started to go through them more carefully. Once he finished that, it was 12:40, the right time to take a lunch break, he already drank three cups of coffee today, but gulped down a fourth as he headed to the break room for the leftover Chinese in the frig. Hopefully no one had claimed it yet and he could snag the extra Singapore noodles and kung pow chicken for lunch, not wanting to go out and get something himself.

Kendall Novak, a friendly and pretty lab tech, was already on her lunch break and finishing off a PB & J and looking over a case folder when Adam walked in and dashed for the frig. "Hungry much Adam?" She giggled as he collected his findings, grabbed a fork and plopped down next to Kendall.

"Very Funny." He smirked as he stuffed a forkful of Singapore noodles into his mouth. Truth was, Kendall was pretty funny, and he had had a huge crush on her ever since she arrived in the lab last year. Their conversation varied from the case they were working on to the Yankees game two nights ago to the fact that Flack looked hilarious today because Danny and Adam drew all over his face last night and he still didn't know. While they talked, Adam realized he was subconsciously moving closer and closer to Kendall. She smiled at a joke he made and he noticed how beautiful her smile was. He also noticed how pretty she was today, how she seemed to glow today in particular, even though he thought she was pretty every day. She was very sweet when Adam explained his angst over his job status and was very good at comforting him.

"What do are you doing tonight?" she asked with her head slightly tilted to the left.

"Nothing. What are you doing tonight?" Adam stuttered slightly as he spoke, from drinking too much coffee. This obviously amused Kendall because she chuckled while he spoke.

"The same. I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight." Adam was surprised; a girl had never asked him out before. She leaned towards him so that their heads were almost touching. In that moment Adam felt strangely calm. Just being close to Kendall made him forget about all of his fear and anxiety and made him smile. His whole life he'd been terrified to go out with a girl. They always made him nervous and he would do something awkward like spill something on them or slam into a door. But Kendall was different. He wasn't afraid to say yes.

"I'd love to." Adam replied as he leaned his head towards her, going in for a kiss. His mind should be racing at 1,000 miles per minute, but it wasn't. All he thought about was kissing Kendall. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Although Adam wasn't very good at kissing or romantic stuff, he stayed as calm as humanly possible. His ran his through Kendall's hair just slightly, and she put her hand on his shoulder. The tension was killing him, so he decided to speed it up a little bit. He closed his eyes and went in for the kiss of a lifetime.

Just as their lips touched, someone walked up behind him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Adam Ross?" A young female voice asked. Both Adam and Kendall sighed as they looked up. But what they saw before them was something neither of them expected, especially not Adam.


	2. Changes

Changes, Chapter 2

What Adam and Kendall saw when they parted was …………... a teenager. A tall, pretty, teenager. Her hazel eyes and brown hair went well with her slight tan. She was tall, probably around 5'5, and was muscular. She wasn't fat, but she had a little pot belly and looked strong. She was wearing a knee-length black coat, from which the bottom of a black and white checkered dress or skirt and black tights peeked out, and white ballet flats. She had a black beret poised on top of her head, and her long hair was down and very straight. Her appearance was the polar opposite from Adam and Kendall's attire: jeans and three-quarter length shirts plus their lab coats. She smiled and looked at Adam. "Hey Adam!"

Adam was stunned. He didn't expect her to come to New York before she was an adult. He knew she wouldn't stay in Phoenix a day after her 18th birthday but this was a huge surprise.

"Do you know her?" Kendall whispered as she looked up and down at the girl standing across from them with a huge grin on her face. She was obviously feeling a little too relaxed in her clothes compared to the fashionista teenager in their presence.

"She's my baby sister." Adam introduced Kendall to her. "Kendall, this is Amy, my little sister. Amy, this is my friend Kendall. We work together."

"Hi!" Amy waved. Her hands had black gloves on them, and she looked sweltering. "It's hotter in New York than I expected."

"It's only the end of September, silly." Adam replied. "Now come and sit down."

Amy slipped off her jacket, revealing a white blouse underneath and a gold locket hanging from her neck. She smoothed her skirt before taking a seat between Adam and Kendall. "How old are you?" Kendall asked, curious about this kid, Adam's sister. She still hadn't processed that Adam's sister was the one who interrupted them.

"I turned 15 last month." Everyone thought Amy was older than she really was, ever since she was a kid. Adam looked annoyed and got to his burning questions.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you back in Phoenix?" Amy wasn't the type to run away, so why on earth could she have a reason to be in New York City?

"Dad finally got found guilty, so I'm property of the state. I need you to file for custody of me." This wasn't something Adam had considered when his father's trial started, but he was perfectly glad to. He loved Amy very much. It would complicate his life a little bit, with him possibly losing his job and just taking off with Kendall. But Adam knew Amy needed him, and he was going to be there for her. They had always been close, even though she was 13 years younger than him.

"What was your father guilty of?" Kendall questioned. Adam and Amy took turns explaining how their abusive father had killed their mother the year before. It was uncomfortable for them to talk about, but they told Kendall anyways. Once the story ended, Amy moved on quickly, anxious to talk about something else, anything else than her father. "How's work Adam?"

Adam didn't want to tell his sister he might get replaced by a machine so he talked vaguely about work and recently closed cases. After a while, Adam realized he'd taken about a two hour lunch break. Kendall had left halfway through to finish processing some clothes and told Adam she'd inform Mac on his situation. Amy was chatting up a storm, not something she usually did back in Phoenix. They talked and talked and talked, updating each other on every little aspect of their lives from the last time she saw him. He went down to Phoenix to visit her and go see some of his high school friends in early June. On the TV that was playing quietly, Amy's favorite band, 3 Doors Down, had their music video for "Changes" come on. They listened to the lyrics in silence:

_I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am  
I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted and nobody understands (how I feel)  
I'm trying hard to breathe now but there's no air in my lungs  
There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb_

_I try to hold this Under control  
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes  
God, I feel so frustrated lately  
When I get suffocated, save me  
Now I'm going through changes, changes_

_I'm feeling weak and weary walking through this world alone  
Everything you say, every word of it, cuts me to the bone  
I've got something to say, but now I've got nowhere to turn  
It feel like I've been buried underneath all the weight of the world_

_I try to hold this Under control  
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes  
God, I feel so frustrated lately  
When I get suffocated, save me  
Now I'm going through changes, changes_

_I'm blind and shakin'  
Bound and breaking  
I hope I make it through all these changes_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes  
God, I feel so frustrated lately  
When I get suffocated, save me  
Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes  
God, I feel so frustrated lately  
When I get suffocated, I hate this  
But I'm going through changes, changes_

As they listened, Adam realized that this is what his sister was going through at that moment, or soon if not yet, and it's what they had gone through their whole lives with their father around. She had been through so much pain and he needed to make her life easier, starting now. His mind raced with new things to do for his sister. He'd have to buy food regularly and not just eat lab leftovers. He'd have to laundry more often and clean up the apartment once in a while. Late nights with the guys or anyone else couldn't happen as often. This was going to be a lot harder than he first thought, but he'd do anything for his baby sister.

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Adam lugged a large piece of purple luggage behind him as they trekked down the hall towards Adam's apartment. Amy towed her smaller bright green duffel bag and her rainbow peace sign back pack, which was slightly open because it couldn't zip up with everything in there. Adam realized the apartment was a disaster from the movie night, old pizza and pillows and beer everywhere. How am I going to survive living with a 15 year old girl, he thought as he pulled out the key and opened the door to his apartment.

Amy stepped inside and shrugged her shoulders at the mess, at the smelly clothes, the old beer and the gross couch. "Just like I pictured it." She grinned and went on a hunt for her room. Adam sighed with relief; she was making this much easier already.

"Is this my room?" She pointed to a room that Adam had never used much, just to hold some of his extra belongings. "Yep, that's it. I'll clear out that stuff for you." Luckily it had a futon in there for Amy to sleep on. "We'll get you a real bed this week."

"The futon's fine for now." She checked her watch and yawned. "Sorry I took up so much of your time at work. Kendall seemed nice."

"Kendall's very nice." Adam blushed as he spoke. "My boss didn't mind. He's actually dying to meet you. Um, there's not much to do here." He looked around at his apartment and realized how pathetic it was. Sure, he had a TV and a computer, but that was it. He wasn't a big reader and he wasn't even home much.

"That's okay. I brought most of my books, my computer, my cell phone, and most of my movies. I'm shipping a few things, including some small furniture, like my bed and my desk." Adam was thankful his sister was smart and remembered that he had almost no money and was on a tight budget. "It's about 6 PM. You hungry?" Adam was starving and hoped Amy was the same. Once she came, he kinda forgot about his lunch.

"Starved. Do you know anywhere good and close to eat?"

"There's a restaurant about four blocks from here. Let's go now so it doesn't get too crowded." They grabbed their phones and a light jacket and headed out. Wind had picked up and Amy was smart to have gloves. As they walked, Adam pointed out a few things here and there: stores he liked, the Chrysler building, and the lab, among other things. Amy was ecstatic to be in NYC, one of the biggest and most famous cities, and noted everything she saw, even some of the people.

The restaurant was small and Italian style, both Amy and Adam's favorite type of food. "Table for two please."


	3. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Chapter 3

After waiting 15 minutes for a table, their waitress led them to a small two person table by the window. Amy pulled in her chair and smoothed her skirt once again while Adam looked at the menu. They were seated at the front of the restaurant and the restaurant was dimly lit with Italian-like decor. Even though it was 6:30, there were only a dozen people eating. It was a modest size, and the staff was larger than the number of diners.

"Hello, I'm Mandy, and I'll be your waitress this evening. Have you even dined at The Roman Chateau before?" The waitress grinned as she awaited a response. Her uniform consisted of a white button down shirt, black pants and shoes, and a red smock around her waist. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and she seemed to have taken special interest in Adam because she faced him when asking her question.

"I have, but she hasn't." Adam smiled politely and looked down at the menu again.

Mandy frowned slightly, but continued. "Can I start you off with some drinks?" Amy ordered Diet Coke, while Adam opted for Sprite. Once Mandy delivered a bread basket and their beverages, they ordered and started in on the bread.

"What do you want to do about school?" Adam didn't remember this until now; she had to finish high school. His sister was smart; she had a genius IQ and was advanced for her age. Private school was far too expensive for Adam at the moment; however, their father was the CEO of Target, and he made a ton of money. Amy hadn't used any of the money he gave them and didn't plan to; Adam only touched his trust fund account to start out in New York.

"As soon as dad was found guilty, I applied to Delmore Prep. It's only three subway stops from the lab." She sipped her soda and munched on a dinner roll. "I have an interview tomorrow morning."

"How are we going to pay for it? It's an expensive school Amy."

"I know. That's why I applied for an academic scholarship and financial aid."

Adam raised his eyebrows. He was impressed with his sisters actions and responsibility, though she'd been very responsible her whole life. The neighbors started asking her to babysit when she was eight; they trusted her with their children. She did very well in school and always did all of her homework. He just hoped she could handle starting a new school halfway through the first semester. It would be hard starting as a sophomore; Delmore Prep started in Kindergarten and most of the kids if not all started then and stayed all the way through senior year.

Amy's cell phone rang just then and she grabbed it out of her coat pocket. Adam didn't see who called her, but the ringtone was David Archuleta's "Crush" and his sister was always one to use words to express her feelings.

"Hey Anthony." She answered, sounding upbeat but sporting a bored expression. "What's up?" She kept the conversation short, but sounded very polite and friendly. When she finally hung up, the waitress was placing the food in front of her.

"Sorry about that." Amy blushed as she put her phone away and started to eat her ravioli.

"It's okay. Who's the boy?"

"Just a friend, that's all."

"You sure? I heard the ringtone."

Her expression hardened, but she kept a smile on her face as she spoke. "He changed the ringtone. I'm positive, we're just friends."

Adam gave up and turned back to his spaghetti and meatballs. He knew his sister wasn't going to talk about boys with him; he might as well give up now. The conversation was lacking, but neither of them minded; it was good to have a little quiet time to think.

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"The chocolate gelato was too much for one night." Amy commented as the two of them flopped down on the couch, filled to the brim. Once they were done, they decided to try every dessert on the menu, including all 12 flavors of gelato. Not the smartest or budget-friendliest idea, but they couldn't resist.

"Way too much." Checking his watch, he realized it was 9 PM already. He couldn't believe they had had a two and a half hour dinner. "This isn't going to happen every night is it?"

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't be able to fit through the door by next week." Amy sighed as she reached for the remote. The TV flickered on to an old western movie. Amy started flipping through the channels, but stopped abruptly. "There's a House marathon on. Wanna watch with me?"

"Sure." Adam had never really been into House, but he was too tired to get up and didn't know what else to do. They ended up watching three episodes in a row before Amy decided to hit the sack for the night. She grabbed her duffel from next to her and headed for the bathroom while Adam turned off the TV and did a fast cleanup. He threw away the old pizza and beer, folded a blanket and stuffed it under the couch, and wiped the kitchen counter with a wet sponge. The refrigerator needed to be stocked with food, so he made a list of basic foods to get and put it in his wallet so he'd remember it. He quickly turned on the vacuum while the sink was running in the bathroom and got the popcorn kernels and dust bunnies off the carpet, while reminding himself to get some better quality furniture. The couch was old and falling apart, the rug was ripped in two places and very thin, and the refrigerator ……… well, that was another story for another time.

Amy emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes after she went in and was stunned by the state of the apartment. "Man, you clean fast." She dumped her bag in her room, and then headed over to Adam, who was putting the vacuum away in the closet. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and smiled as she spoke. "Today was fun. Goodnight." She walked with a bounce in her step as she went to her room and closed the door.

Adam blushed. He was never good with people and affection, not even family. "Goodnight." He said through her door as he went into his room and collapsed on his bed, which he was convinced would collapse under him at any moment. As he turned out the light and closed his eyes, he wondered how the hell was he gonna raise a teenager. But after tonight, it seemed manageable enough.


	4. Working Man From 9 To 5

Gotta be somebody

Fanfic

Working Man from 9 to 5, Chapter 4

Adam hopped out of bed promptly at 6:30 AM. He usually didn't get up this early, but he still had a little cleaning to do before his sister got up. He showered and listened to his bathroom radio quietly while he got ready. "Working Man" by Rush came on, and he couldn't help but listen to the lyrics and sing along a little:

_Get up at seven, yeah,  
and I go to work at nine.  
I got no time for livin'.  
Yes, I'm workin' all the time.  
It seems to me  
I could live my life  
a lot better than I think I am.  
I guess that's why they call me,  
they call me the workin' man.  
They call me the workin' man.  
I guess that's what I am.  
I get home at five o'clock,  
and I take myself out a nice, cold beer.  
Always seem to be wond'rin'  
why there's nothin' goin' down here.  
It seems to me  
I could live my life  
a lot better than I think I am.  
I guess that's why they call me,  
they call me the workin' man.  
They call me the workin' man.  
I guess that's what I am.  
Well they call me the workin' man.  
I guess that's what I am._

He realized it was dorky 1970's song, but he loved it. One thing not a lot of people knew about him was how much he liked rock music, which was a lot. Unfortunately, Amy figured this out when she went through his bag looking for a book and stumbled upon them. She was very good at keeping secrets; in fact, she'd gotten him tickets to Aerosmith's NYC concert last year for his birthday, and he was forever grateful.

Just then, Dolly Parton's "Working 9 to 5" came on, and since he was partial to country music as well, he couldn't help but sing along:

_Tumble outta bed  
And stumble to the kitchen  
Pour myself a cup of ambition  
Yawnin, stretchin, try to come to life  
Jump in the shower  
And the blood starts pumpin  
Out on the streets  
The traffic starts jumpin  
And folks like me on the job from 9 to 5  
Workin 9 to 5  
What a way to make a livin  
Barely gettin by  
Its all takin  
And no givin  
They just use your mind  
And they never give you credit  
Its enough to drive you  
Crazy if you let it  
9 to 5, for service and devotion  
You would think that I  
Would deserve a fair promotion  
Want to move ahead  
But the boss wont seem to let me in  
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me  
Mmmmm...  
They let your dream  
Just a watch em shatter  
You're just a step  
On the boss mans a ladder  
But you got dream hell never take away  
On the same boat  
With a lot of your friends  
Waitin for the day  
Your shipll come in  
And the tides gonna turn  
An its all gonna roll you away  
Workin 9 to 5  
What a way to make a livin  
Barely gettin by  
Its all takin  
And no givin  
They just use your mind  
And you never get the credit  
Its enough to drive you  
Crazy if you let it  
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you  
Theres a better life  
And you think that I would daunt you  
Its a rich mans game  
No matter what they call it  
And you spend your life  
Going funny if you want it  
Workin 9 to 5  
What a way to make a livin  
Barely gettin by  
Its all takin  
And no givin  
They just use you mind  
And they never give you credit  
Its enough to drive you  
Crazy if you let it  
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you  
Theres a better life  
And you dream that I would daunt you  
Its a rich mans game  
No matter what they call it  
And you spend your life  
Going funny if you want it_

He was dressed and ready to go by 7:20, which gave him an hour before he had to be at work. He really didn't want to wake up Amy, but she was going to make him late if she didn't get up soon. He tiptoed over to her bedroom and gave a light tap and the door. "Ames?" He called, pressing his ear against the door.

"Come in!" She yelled. He jumped back in surprise and slowly opened the door. There, standing in the middle of the room fully dressed, was his sister. She was wearing an emerald blouse with chocolate plants and tan ballet flats. She pulled out a tan coat, similar to the one she wore yesterday. Her locket was her only form of jewelry (again), and her hair was slicked back into a perfectly done ponytail. Her face looked fresh and clean, so Adam suspected she wasn't wearing any makeup. He wondered if she even owned any makeup. She's a fifteen girl, he reasoned, as she checked her blouse in the mirror one time and flashed a toothy grin, showing perfectly straight teeth from four years of braces.

"Hey Adam."

"When did you get up?" He hadn't even heard her shower, assuming she took one.

"In case you don't remember, I'm a morning person. I took a walk at 5 AM, the came back at quarter to six and showered. I just got ready in here." She turned away to fluff a blanket that was folded and placed on the futon. Apparently, she liked the layout of the room, because nothing was rearranged.

"You'll need to get more sleep than five hours a night. You should also tell me before you leave, especially at that time of day." Adam told her; concerned she'll get sick from not enough sleep. That's what always happens to him when he didn't get eight hours of sleep.

"I'm fine for today, and I had my cell phone with me so you could have called me if you were worried. I read and wrote a bit too, as well as practiced some math problems and looked at your science books. Just to keep on top of my skills before I go to school."

"What do you plan to do today?" Adam asked, letting the leaving without permission and the sleep deprivation conversations drop.

"I dunno. Maybe I could hang out at the lab?" She seemed really excited by the thought of getting to go to Adam's work, a science lab no less. His sister always liked school, but was partial to science for a while.

Adam was at a crossroads. What would Mac say about having his sister at the lab all day? What trouble would she cause? What if something happened at the lab?

After silently debating for ten minutes with Amy waiting patiently and silently in front of him, he made a decision.

"All right, you can come, but there's going to be rules about what you can and can't do."

" Okay, shoot."

"Number one: no harassing lab techs or CSI's. If you get bored, there's a TV in the break."

"I'll bring a book and a journal with me."

"Good. Rule number two: be polite. If you eat something, clean up. Don't leave your coat in the middle of the floor. Talk to people if they ask you questions. Ok?"

"Got it. Anything else"

"That's it. I'll tell you if I think of anything else." He checked his watch. "It's 7:30 AM now. Do you want breakfast?"

"Sure, I got some breakfast stuff when I was out. Let's eat."

He followed his sister into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out bagels, cream cheese, butter and milk. "If I remember correctly, you like bagels with butter and I like them with cream cheese, so I got both. Plus milk is always good to have."

"I'll go food shopping today." He blushed from embarrassment. He couldn't believe that there was so little food in his apartment that his sister had to buy food for him.

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Once they arrived at the lab, Adam went straight to Mac's office, Amy trailing behind and looking at everything.

Mac was sitting as his desk sipping coffee when Adam walked in with Amy. "Adam, nice to see you up and early. Who's the young lady with you?"

"Mac, this is my sister Amy. Amy, this is Detective Mac Taylor, my boss." He put emphasis on the last part so she'd understand to make a good impression o him.

"Nice to meet you Amy. Are you visiting Adam?"

"No, I'm coming to live with him." She smiled and waited for a reply.

Mac knew about Adam's family situation and didn't want to make the situation more awkward. "Adam's very nice to let you come stay with him."

"Yes he is." She admired her brother as she spoke. He was really saving her from a rut now; if he didn't take her, she'd end up in foster care, the last place she wanted to be.

Mac offered to give her a tour, which she politely accepted. He showed her the all of the different labs: trace, DNA, technical analysis, fingerprints, etc. She saw different people offices and the break room where she met Kendall. He introduced her to lab techs and CSI's, as well as a Detective Angell and the coroner, Dr. Sid Hammerback. Meanwhile, Adam was ordered to go to a crime scene and help collect evidence. He felt weird about leaving his sister alone in the lab, but she was in the trusted hands of Mac Taylor, so at least she'd be safe.

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About two hours later, after meeting tons of people and talking to Mac Taylor for a while, Amy went off to the break room. She saw the huge window and perched herself on the edge, looking below at the traffic of the morning, people included. Pulling out a notebook and a pen, Amy couldn't remember when the last time she wrote was. Flipping to the last written page, the date read "June 18th, 2008". It was a journal entry stating that Adam was gone and it was her and dad once again. She looked to the last time she really wrote; inspiration just wasn't hitting her like it used to. Her last poem was on January 6th, 2008. It had definitely been a while.

Using her favorite purple pen, she turned to a fresh page and started to write:

New Beginnings

Starting somewhere new,

A fresh start will do me well,

I need this very much.

It wasn't very good, but it was best to start off with a haiku; she started writing them first. They always helped her get out of a writing rut.

As she wrote, she got caught up in New York's rush hour and didn't notice that Stella, Hawkes, Flack, Danny, and Lindsay came up behind her, wondering who she was or what she was doing sitting in their break room.

"Excuse me?" Stella finally spoke after a few minutes. Amy turned around and saw everyone staring at her. "Yes?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Stella sounded and looked concerned; the others, not so much.

"My name is Amy Ross. I'm Adam Ross's little sister."


	5. Paranoid

Paranoid, Chapter 5

"I can't believe it. Adam has a little sister!" Lindsay exclaimed as she introduced herself. "I'm Detective Lindsay Monroe." She waved from across the room.

"Hi Lindsay." Amy waved back. One by one, everyone else went around and introduced their self. She met Detective Danny Messer and Detective Don Flack, who seemed to be good friends. Danny and Lindsay were holding hands, and Lindsay looked pregnant. Amy could only assume that they were together and he was they father, even though they weren't wearing any rings. Amy got up and walked over to the people so they could shake her hand and talk without yelling across the room.

"I'm Dr. Sheldon Hawkes and this is Detective Stella Bonasera." They both shook her hand and seemed pleasantly surprised to meet her. Everyone was talking to her and asking her various questions.

"How long are you staying?" Questioned Lindsay, very excited that Amy would be staying in New York permanently. She already hired Amy to babysit and be a mother's helper once the baby was born.

"What school are you going to?" Asked Dr. Hawkes.

"Where are your parents?" Danny inquired. Amy quickly moved on from the subject, not wanting to share her family history with people she just met. She told Kendall because she thought Adam and Kendall were dating, but Adam didn't say anything about it, so they must not be. In any case, Adam and her seemed close; they were at least good friends to almost kiss. Amy felt comfortable with her, but she wouldn't tell these people. At least not yet.

Stella was the only one who didn't say anything. She quietly observed Amy talking and acting things out for everyone, a more little loosened up now.

The break room walls were painted tan and there were three large windows in the middle of the room. The two couches were green with red covers over them, as well as the recliner. Two metal tables stood on either side of the room, each with two chairs next to it. A large flat screen TV sat in front of the couches and was silently played "Paranoid" by Kanye West.

They asked her all different things: about herself, school, Phoenix, and a little about Adam. She found out her Danny and Lindsay suspicions were correct, that she was pregnant with his child and they lived together now. Hawkes was a child genius, like herself, and worked as a surgeon before becoming a Medical Examiner and then a CSI. Danny loved to play baseball and almost went pro before breaking his wrist. Lindsay lived in Montana until three years ago when she moved to NYC. Flack was in an explosion and was in a coma for three weeks. Stella just spoke quickly, telling that she was an orphan and never knew her parents. Although so far she'd been quite cold to Amy, she really felt bad for Stella. Never knowing your parents was awful, to feel alone all the time. At least she never felt alone because Adam was there.

As the group talked, between their selves and to Amy, she noticed the relationships between people. Danny and Lindsay were holding hands, laughing and cuddling most of the time. Hawkes and Stella conversed over a case and talked about how Stella should come to something or other. Flack and Danny talked sports and laughed at a joke Flack made. It made Amy see that the team was a family, not just people working together. She was glad Adam had found a family, people who loved him and would take care of him. All she had to do was find the same thing for herself: a family.

Adam returned ten minutes later with his lab coat on and panting, as if he'd just run up the stairs to the lab on the fifth floor. He looked worried at his friends laughing with his sister, obviously telling a story. She was standing between Flack and Lindsay and the whole group was gathered in a circle. Everyone was laughing, and at one point Sid was holding his stomach and Hawkes had tears streaming down his face. His sister had always known how to make people laugh, no matter how socially awkward she was otherwise.

"What's up guys?" Adam asked while watching Stella. She was standing up straight with her arms crossed and her lips pursed, scrutinizing his sister's every move. Amy quickly shifted her view over to Stella and back to Adam, her eyes pleading for help.

"We were just talking to your sister. She's a lovely girl." Lindsay replied quickly and gave Amy a little hug. "She's already been hired as my babysitter once the baby comes." She moved her hands to her stomach and Danny moved to her side fast, grabbed one of her hands, and smiled.

"That's good. It'll keep her busy." Adam grinned at his sister. Amy blushed and moved her eyes to her shoes, which she got mud on this morning.

Flack continued, "She can always hang out at the precinct if she needs time to kill. I'm sure Angell would love another girl down there to talk to when it gets slow."

"I'd love to!" Amy exclaimed. She secretly wanted to join the police academy and follow in her brother's footsteps when she got older, but just told people she wanted to be a doctor because that's what her father wanted her to be. Her father was gone now, though; she could be whatever she wanted to be.

Stella's cell phone rang and she got it right away. "Hey Mac." She listened and nodded and said, "Yes" a lot before hanging up. "We've got hit on the clown murder last week. Some new evidence came in and there's an epithelial to run plus prints, so let's get going." She waved Danny and Hawkes out. "Nice meeting you Amy."

"Bye." She smiled politely as Stella filled in the two CSI's on what was going on. Why didn't Stella say anything until now? Amy and Adam were confused by Stella's actions, but they shook it off and continued to talk with Flack and Lindsay until Mac walked in.

"Amy, I see you've met Sid and Lindsay." Mac smiled slightly. Amy seemed like a good kid, and while he had every confidence in Adam that he would be a great guardian, he planned to look out for her whenever she visited the lab.

"Stella, Danny, and Sheldon were in here as well. They just left."

"Lindsay, I need you to go through the guy on 34th's personal effects and Flack we've got a new suspect to interrogate. Adam, there's the vic's computer to be searched. Let's get going." Mac left promptly afterwards, Lindsay and Flack bidding goodbyes on their way out.

"I've gotta go. Can you stay here and hang out for a while?"

"Yeah, I want to write more anyways. I'll be fine." Amy made her way over to the windowsill where she was before. By now, the traffic was much less and almost not noticeable. Adam headed out to the lab, calling Kendall on his phone as he left.

Amy's notebook came out again and, flipping to a new page, tried warming up once more, this time with a poem:

Family

A real family

People who look out for you

Who care about you

Who understand you

Not necessarily the people who share your blood type

Or DNA

A family protects you

They don't hurt you or hate you

I need a real family

Amy sighed and stared out the window. She needed a family, and right now, Adam was all she had.

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Adam spotted Kendall working on evidence in the lab and ran in her direction. Not actually running, but jogging; however, this was still unusual and made Kendall laugh when she looked up at Adam.

"What are you doing?" Kendall asked through giggles.

"Getting extra exercise. Whatcha got?"

"Glass from the bar fight down an 15th and 6th. Want to help?"

"Sure." Adam pulled on some gloves and started dusting. They talked while they worked, making the job less tedious and more fun. Kendall though his sister was adorable and very funny, Adam thought that's what Kendall was, but he didn't mention it out loud like she did about his sister.

After an hour of getting trace off glass and fingerprinting, they were done. Kendall grabbed them some water as she pulled out prints from the gun that killed their victim on 34th.

Adam looked at Kendall and thought of how they almost kissed yesterday. Her head was turned to look at some skin under a microscope, and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in the sunlight that flooded the lab from the huge windows similar to the ones in the break room.

When she turned around to write her results down, Adam grabbed her by the waist and, before she could say a word, pulled her towards him and gave her a soft but strong kiss on the lips.


	6. Kiss Kiss

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

Kiss Kiss, Chapter 6

NOTE: This chapter's really about Adam and Kendall more than Amy at all. Enjoy!

Kendall was too stunned to respond as Adam planted a kiss on her lips. His lips were soft and pressed against hers with just the right amount of force, making her weak in the knees. The thought of Adam kissing her that she'd had for the past month made her woozy and get butterflies in her stomach. They were standing in the middle of the lab, and as his hand ran through her hair ever so lightly, and her hand slowly moved to his cheek, this moment took her breath away.

Standing in the lab with her eyes closed, Kendall thought about what almost happened in the break room yesterday. She had brought that on, almost kissing him until his sister arrived. Today, though, she had thought about taking it slow, going on a date before kissing him. They were friends in the lab, and had even gone to a couple of baseball games outside of work. Adam was her friend, and she didn't want to ruin that with a stupid kiss. But this wasn't just a normal kiss. This wasn't a stupid kiss. It was a kiss with Adam, which meant it couldn't be either of these things. It had to be a great kiss to be one with Adam.

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Adam didn't know what overcame him. In an instant, his thoughts overtook his mind and made him kiss Kendall. He wanted to become friends with her first, which he had, then move on to asking her out and going on at least one date before kissing her so that he wouldn't ruin their friendship. They had always gotten along well and been good friends, but he wanted more and wasn't sure what she wanted. What almost happened yesterday ruined that, so he decided to just go for it and kiss her.

It was only noon, and everyone was either on a lunch break or at a scene. They lab was pin silent for those few moments during the kiss, the metal tables radiating the sun's reflecting and making the whole lab glow. It felt like a sauna with their lab coats on, but neither of them wanted to make the first move. They stood still, as if time was frozen just for them.

After what seemed like an hour but was only a few seconds, Adam pulled away and searched Kendall's face for an expression or emotion. Was she pissed at him? Was she surprised? Happy? He couldn't tell quite yet.

Kendall bit her lip and thought of what to say. She looked right at Adam and sighed. "What do we do now?"

He knew what she meant. "I think we should go out tonight. And my sister won't mind; she loves you."

She smiled and agreed. "I think that's a great idea." She was a few inches shorter than Adam, even with heels, so when she went to kiss Adam again, she had to stand on her tiptoes. But she didn't even care as she reached up and planted another soft kiss on his lips before turning away. "We've got a ton of work ahead of us if we're leaving early."

They got working on some beer bottles found at a scene yesterday, and were only halfway done when Danny came in with new evidence that was top priority. Separating to get work done faster, Kendall on the new stuff and Adam on yesterday's case, they grinned at each other through the glass doors as they processed. Adam felt like a teenager in love all over again, and was certain Kendall felt the same.

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At 5 on the dot, Adam ran to Mac's office and knocked on the door urgently. Mac waved him in through the glass and Adam tried his hardest to think of a way to ask Mac to let him off early for his date.

"Did you get the results on the napkin?"

"Yes, it had traces of white wine and lobster on it, as well as the vic's DNA."

Mac paused to think. "Well that's a dead end. Get working on the bike in trace."

"Actually, sir, I was wondering if I could take off tonight." Adam was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet and fidgeting. Adam could tell he was nervous about something. "Do you have a date, Mr. Ross?"

"Um, well, maybe." Mac wasn't a fan of people asking the day of if they needed to leave early for any reason. Adam prayed to God that he would have a change of heart, just for today.

Mac searched Adam's nervous expression and smiled a Mac Taylor smile. "Have fun and see you tomorrow."

"Thank you sir." Adam ran out of his office and pumped his fist in the air. Yes! He could go on his date tonight!

He ran to catch the elevator, which Stella held open for him. She noticed his excitement and felt it become infectious spread to her. "You look happy. Any special occasion?"

"Yeah, I have a date."

"It wouldn't happen to be with a certain blonde lab tech whose initials are K.N. now, would it?"

"It would." The elevator reached the bottom floor and Adam raced off to go home and get ready. He was meeting Kendall at 7:30 and needed all the time he could get.

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Adam fixed his tie one last time and looked into the mirror. One shower and 30 full minutes of fixing his hair so it didn't stick up weird like it usually does; he was ready for his date. Sporting a suit jacket, his cleanest dress shirt, and jeans, Adam looked clean and semi-dateable, unlike he normal looked, or so he thought. He didn't realize how great he looked until Kendall mentioned it when he picked her up at her apartment at 7:30 sharp. Kendall, wearing a red cocktail dress and black heels, made Adam's jaw drop. She looked like a goddess, which just made Adam more nervous than he already was, something hard to do.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Adam opened Kendall's door for her as she stepped out of the car, clearly surprised by Adam. As they were seated in the tiny Italian restaurant, Adam pulled out her chair and seated her before plopping down, very ungracefully, himself.

"I've noticed you're quite the gentleman tonight." Kendall commented as she unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap, something Adam had already done.

"Tonight? I'm not a gentleman all the time?" Adam joked as a basket of bread was brought over and placed on the table. The waitress smiled at Adam and took out her notebook to write down their orders.

"That's not what I meant. I just meant especially tonight, you're being very gentleman like." She grabbed some bread and spread a small amount of butter on it while Adam ordered wine for them.

"White or red?"

"Whatever you want. I don't have a preference." Adam chose red, and the waitress got right to bringing it over. She noticed the nametag: Mandy. A name only made for a waitress, she thought, as wine was poured.

"Second night in a row you've been in here, and second girl of the week." The waitress commented before winking at Adam and walking away.

"Second?" Kendall raised her eyebrows.

"First was my sister." Adam laughed at Kendall's question as they toasted their wine and continued chatting while their dinner was being made. Adam discovered Kendall hates Ben Stiller ( for unknown reasons), loves World War II and Lewis Black, and her pet peeve is smokers. She learned that Adam loves _The Holiday_ and all romantic comedies, hates Britney Spears, and has a pet peeve for abbreviations.

Adam and Kendall both ordered spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, so there was plenty to go around when their orders came. As Adam made fun of Kendall for slurping her spaghetti, and Kendall made fun of Adam for cutting up his meatball into miniscule sizes, Kendall remembered something she always wanted to do.

"Remember the scene in _The Lady and the Tramp_ where they slurp spaghetti behind the restaurant?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I've always wondered what it would be like to do that. Slurp your spaghetti with another person until you get to the end."

Adam, without hesitating, twirled an extra long piece of spaghetti onto his fork, stuck one end of the piece in his mouth, and then gave the other end to Kendall. She took the other piece, put it in her mouth and started to eat, but in small bites so she could swallow. Adam did the same, and when they got to the end, Adam bumped noses with Kendall as he tried to kiss her while both of them had spaghetti in their mouths Adam turned scarlet red, but gave Kendall a quick peck on the cheek anyways. It was only a peck, but it was soft and sweet, exactly what Kendall wanted.

As they finished eating and paid, Adam being a gentleman and covering the tab plus offering to drive, Kendall wondered what would happen next. They were such good friends, and she didn't want to ruin that, but they could really have something. She was surprised once again when Adam walked her upstairs and kissed her goodnight, but left promptly to take care of Amy. "Have a good night." Adam wished as he walked down the stairs to his car, leaving Kendall in front of her apartment. It had already been a good night, no wish needed.

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Adam turned the key to his apartment and walked in to find the lights on and music blaring from Amy's room. Dumping his work bag by the door and pulling off his coat, he smiled at what had happened tonight. He had actually had a date and didn't do anything stupid, other than the nose thing.

Amy noticed her brother's smile as he walked into her room and sat on the edge of her futon. Her suitcases were strewn about the room, and clothes were already everywhere, after only one day. "I'm guessing your date went well?" She chuckled as she turned down her stereo and closed her notebook. He laughed along with her and kissed her goodnight as she turned off her light and went to sleep.

She remembered having a date where she smiled like Adam did just then. It was her first date with her first boyfriend, and it was on the 4th of July. They had gone to see fireworks, and it was the best date ever. She assumed that's what Adam's date was like, because even though he wasn't good with girls, he was quite a romantic when it came down to it. She could hear him singing, something he only did when he was in a really good mood. She giggled at herself and how much she sounded like her mom as she drifted off to her favorite song, "Kiss Kiss".


	7. Rockstar

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

Rockstar, Chapter 7

Amy woke up at 5 AM promptly so she could take a long run before her first day of school. She wasn't a fast runner, nor was she very strong, but she liked to run. It let her control where she was going, and was a great way to calm down when she was mad.

Pulling on her NYU sweatshirt that Adam got her, she headed out the door with her keys, cell phone, and iPod. She put her Nickelback playlist and ran down the stairs of the apartment building and out the door.

"Rockstar" was the first song on her playlist, and she sang along as she jogged past the Crime Lab and down the street:

_I'm through with standing in line  
To clubs we'll never get in  
It's like the bottom of the ninth  
And I'm never gonna win  
This life hasn't turned out  
Quite the way I want it to be  
(Tell me what you want)  
I want a brand new house  
On an episode of Cribs  
And a bathroom I can play baseball in  
And a king size tub big enough  
For ten plus me  
(So what you need?)  
I'll need a credit card that's got no limit  
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it  
Gonna join the mile high club  
At thirty-seven thousand feet  
(Been there, done that)  
I want a new tour bus full of old guitars  
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard  
Somewhere between Cher and  
James Dean is fine for me  
(So how you gonna do it?)  
I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame  
I'd even cut my hair and change my name  
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars  
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars  
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap  
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat  
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars  
In the VIP with the movie stars  
Every good gold digger's  
Gonna wind up there  
Every Playboy bunny  
With her bleach blond hair  
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar  
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar  
I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels  
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes  
Sign a couple autographs  
So I can eat my meals for free  
(I'll have the quesadilla on the house)  
I'm gonna dress my ass  
With the latest fashion  
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion  
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to  
Blow my money for me  
(So how you gonna do it?)  
I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame  
I'd even cut my hair and change my name  
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars  
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars  
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap  
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat  
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars  
In the VIP with the movie stars  
Every good gold digger's  
Gonna wind up there  
Every Playboy bunny  
With her bleach blond hair  
And we'll hide out in the private rooms  
With the latest dictionary and today's who's who  
They'll get you anything with that evil smile  
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial, well  
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar  
I'm gonna sing those songs  
That offend the censors  
Gonna pop my pills from a pez dispenser  
I'll get washed-up singers writing all my songs  
lip sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong  
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars  
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars  
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap  
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat  
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars  
In the VIP with the movie stars  
Every good gold digger's  
Gonna wind up there  
Every Playboy bunny  
With her bleach blond hair  
And we'll hide out in the private rooms  
With the latest dictionary and today's who's who  
They'll get you anything with that evil smile  
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial  
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar  
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar_

When she reached Grand Central Station, the 5:30 AM commuter rail was just leaving the station. Deciding it was time to head back towards the apartment, she picked up her pace, hoping to decrease her time by a few seconds or so. Her breath grew raspier, and her legs started to lose all feeling. She hadn't noticed, but her playlist had ended and "Rockstar" was playing once again. Her head became lighter and she felt as if she was flying while she ran.

Finally, she was standing in front of the apartment once again, panting. She sat herself down slowly on the steps and pulled out her cell phone. 6:02 AM, Monday, 10/6/08. 3 days after Adam's big date, 4 days since she had arrived in New York City to start all over. And today, she was starting her new school, Delmore Prep.

She took a deep breath and walked inside, slowly climbing the stairs. Their apartment was on the 2nd floor, so it was useless to take the elevator up.

She pulled out her keychain and grabbed the only key on the ring. Sliding it into the lock, she turned the key and heard the door click open. As she was about to open the door, it flew open from a huge gust of wind, entering through the hallway window.

She tip-toed inside as to not wake Adam and looked around. Peeking through his bedroom door, Amy found him asleep at his desk and sighed a contented sigh. She looked over his shoulder and saw a Sudoku book on his desk. Moving slowly, she slid the book out from under him and grabbed a pencil. There were only two squares blank, in opposite corners of the puzzle. She only needed a moment to look at in before filling in a "7" in the lower corner and a "3" in the upper corner. She checked Adam's math quickly and replaced the book before going towards the bathroom.

She turned on the hot water, peeled off her clothes, sticky from running, and stepped in. The shower was small but at least Adam kept the bathroom very clean. The one window had tinted glass on it, but it let it quite a bit of light.

Letting the hot water running through her hair, she pictured the school and how her first day might go. It was a private, Catholic school, and she hated those. Two of her previous schools were similar, and she didn't like either of them. Hopefully this one would be better.

She finally finished and stepped out into the overly-steamed bathroom, wrapping her fluffy purple towel around her. She grabbed a second towel and made a turban on her hair so it would dry faster. She looked out over the street, people starting to come out of their buildings and head off to start the day.

Letting the bathroom unsteam took a while because it didn't have a fan, so she brushed her teeth and washed her face while waiting for the mirror to clear up. She slipped on her underwear and bra once she was dry, and proceeded from there to apply deodorant, put moisturizer on her legs, and clean up the mess she made a little. There was water all over the floor, and her running clothes were spread out, getting soggy from the shower water.

Once her hair was combed and blow-dried and her make-up was applied sparingly, she checked her shower clock. 6:55 AM. She only had 10 minutes before she needed to leave for school, so she pulled on her school blue and white plaid uniform and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Grabbing her socks, she pulled on her blue socks and her gray converse, to finish the whole outfit.

She grimaced at herself in the mirror. She'd never liked school uniforms and wasn't too happy with this was, even thought it wasn't as nearly as bad as her last uniform. She hunted for cereal and found lucky charms that seemed fresh enough to be deemed edible. She found a spoon and a bowl, and used the remnants of the milk she bought to make a bowl of cereal.

Amy worried about school while she ate. She attended her old since kindergarten and had known everyone in her class since then. She would be the new girl here. She may have been a loser at her old school, but she still had friends. Here, your friends depended on how much money you had. And not having any money didn't do much for that image.

Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she threw her bowl and spoon in the sink, yelled bye to Adam, and raced down the stairs and out the door.

She just barely caught the subway to her school, which she rode for nine stops. When she got off, she raced down the block and up the stairs to Delmore Prepatory, her new personal hell.

The admissions office was right after she entered the building, so she had no trouble finding it. The woman at the front desk was the same one who had interviewed her, so she recognized her immediately.

"Welcome, Amy. We hope you enjoy your first day of school." She said with a fake smile plastered on her face, showing off her obviously whitened teeth. Her bleach blonde hair and too tan for living in the desert skin also signaled to Amy that this was exactly what she expected.

She led Amy down the hall and to her locker. It was a typical locker, except she didn't have to share it with anyone so it was a little bigger. After loading all of her books into her locker, she took a deep breath as students started to flood the hallways. She weaved her way through them and towards her homeroom.

The room that was assigned her homeroom was small, with only 14 desks and one teachers' desk. She recognized the "Smart" board in the corner and sat down. The clock read 7:31, two minutes slower than her watch. To shake off some of her nerves, she pulled out her favorite notebook and started to write. It was only a journal entry, but it helped.

Time flew by and before she knew it, it was 7:55 and time for homeroom to actually start. Six girls and six boys walked into the room, the girls wearing the same uniform as her, the boys sporting dress shirts and slacks. Everyone sat in small groups: the jock boys and the nerdier boys, the "Barbie"-like girls and the girls that seemed down to earth. They were only three of them, but maybe they'd hang out with her.

She took a deep breath and walked over to them, smiling a little. "Hi. I'm Amy Ross."

"Oh yeah, the new girl. Sit down." One of the girls said. As much as she hated being called the new girl, she held her tongue and pulled a chair over. "I'm Marilyn." She had blonde hair and green eyes that were to die for. She was even tanner than the woman from admissions, but seemed a little nicer than her. "This is Dana and Madison." She pointed to the two other girls, one with brunette hair like Amy's and one with pitch black hair.

"Hey. Today your first day here?" The brunette spoke. She was the other brunette whose looks were similar to Amy's but was far skinner, by at least twenty pounds.

"Yeah."

"What do you think so far?" Dana asked, looking curious. Her nails matched her black hair and so did her eyeliner. Everything about her screamed stereotypical Goth, but Amy was very against stereotypes, so she brushed off the thought and moved on.

"It's okay. A little fancy for me personally." Oops! She thought. The people here were all about money, so saying it's too fancy made her look weird to them.

"Same here." They all agreed, letting Amy breath a silent sigh of relief. They were down to earth, just like she thought.

They asked her tons of questions, all through homeroom and into Government, her first class, and theirs too. They asked her about Adam and were dying to meet him (although Amy knew they would be sorely disappointed by her uncool, unhunky brother); about her old friends and old life back in Phoenix, and just about everything else they could come up with. She sat with Madison in Geometry and Dana in Biology, and all of the three at lunch. The day was going much better than expected.


	8. Can't Believe It

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

Can't Believe It, Chapter 8

NOTE: I changed the date in the last chapter to October 6th to make this chapter work. Thanks!

Amy collapsed on the couch exhausted. Her first day of school went well, in her opinion, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. But Adam had decided to play Guitar Hero with full volume on, so she just laid on her side and went over the day in her head.

There was Government, Geometry, Biology, lunch, English Literature, Music Theory, Creative Writing, and Ironic Journalism for her classes. Most of them were fine, but she had the dullest Geometry teacher ever, which only made the class harder. Not only was Geometry her least favorite class to begin with, but she wasn't any good at it and now, she had a dull-as-nails teacher to top it all off.

Her favorite classes were Government and Ironic Journalism. They were both taught by the coolest teacher, Mr. Mendoza, pus she was very strong in them and they were relatively interesting. Adam always told her she could be President, but she would much rather be the President's speech writer or something like that. The whole behind-the-scenes thing was her forte and apparently, she could be kind of inspirational.

Then there was Madison, Dana, and Marilyn for the people she met. Of course, she'd met dozens of other people throughout the day, but those three stick out in her mind particularly. They were all rich, like everyone else at Delmore Prep, but they seemed…. different. More down to earth and concerned with other people than anyone else there. Well, maybe Marilyn less than Dana and Madison, but still, they were different. Or so she thought.

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The next few weeks passed by uneventfully and before Amy knew it, it was Halloween, and that meant parties. Marilyn was throwing a party at her family's Manhattan penthouse and everyone from school was invited. "Everyone" would have only been her friends and most of the guys, but her parents made her invite the whole class. As unhappy as this made Marilyn, Amy was psyched. Halloween parties weren't really a thing back home in Phoenix, and this one would be her first, not to mention her first high school party. She'd been to parties before, but not like this. Those were another story for another time.

Amy had a lot to do to prepare for this party. First, she would need a costume, since it was a Halloween costume party. Dana was being a mermaid, Madison was being an angel, and Marilyn was being Marilyn Monroe. Amy still had her dance costume from last years' performance of The Nutcracker as well as her pointe shoes. Since everything fit well and it would cost nothing, she decided on being a ballerina.

The tutu was pink and purple with sparkles and her pink pointe shoes matched the pink in the tutu (her costume was for the Sugar Plum Fairy, which was the best costume in her opinion). The skirt just about hit her knees and the top hugged her curves, an added bonus. She decided to put her hair up in a ponytail and not the usual bun, and she wouldn't wear the tiara for two reasons. Number one, she lost it, and number two… well, she really didn't have a second reason, but he just didn't want to wear it. Madison insisted that the tiara made the outfit, so after a few days, she bought one at the iParty down the street and added it to her final costume.

Second, she needed makeup. Marilyn offered to do it for her, but she had to supply the makeup. Blush wasn't necessary; her skin was red enough. A small dab of lip gloss would do the trick for her lips. Washing her face twice a day left her skin acne-free, so she didn't need concealer. Some light plum eye shadow and black mascara (almost none) would make her eyes pop, and her eyebrows would never need waxing or plucking.

3rd, she would probably need a date. They boys in her class were….fine. They weren't awful or losers, but they weren't exactly Prince Charming either. Most of them were rich snobs who planned to follow in their fathers' footsteps, also rich snobs. To pick one, she closed her eyes and called a random contact on her phone. The first call was Adam and the second one was Dana, so the third time had to be a charm, and it really was.

She'd picked Josh, captain of the football and golf team at school. Not too bad, she decided, as the phone rang. He picked up fast and they laughed about the frog dissection in Biology before Amy got down to business. He was single, luckily, so there wasn't a whole I-have-a-girlfriend awkward thing going on. He wouldn't be too bad of a date, she decided once they hung up. He was pretty cute and smart, and not extremely snobby.

After four unbearable days of waiting, Halloween finally arrived, and it was party time. Marilyn did her makeup and helped with her hair, while Amy hemmed Marilyn's dress. She was a fairly good sewer, and shortened Marilyn's dress by at least three inches, per her request. Madison and Dana were going together, and Marilyn and Amy were meeting their dates at the party.

Josh and Alex, Marilyn's date, showed up at 7 promptly, making theirselves the first two people to the party besides Marilyn, who was hosting the party, and Amy. They laughed and chatted while other people started to come. By 7:30, the penthouse was packed with people and music was blaring from speakers taller than Don Flack. Suddenly, Amy got a weird feeling in her gut. She wanted to write it off as nerves, since this was her first real party. But she knew nerves and this wasn't it. She felt as though something was going to happen tonight, something not planned and bad.

She politely excused herself to the bathroom and made her way through the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Alex pull out two tiny bottles. She couldn't read the label, but by the design she knew it was vodka. He quickly pulled off the top and poured both into the community bowl of punch, then stirred it around to make it look like he was getting a drink. Amy couldn't believe it: he spiked the punch. Next thing she knew, he poured a glass and handed one to Marilyn and one to Madison.

She had to warn them what he did. But she should figure out what to say first. She closed the bathroom door behind her and washed her hands in hot water, trying to create a plan. Amy didn't do too well under pressure, so she took a few deep breaths and blew her nose before heading back out. At that point, Marilyn was pouring herself a second cup of punch. Amy pushed through the crowd fast and grabbed Marilyn by the arm.

"Stop drinking that. Alex spiked it with vodka."

"How do you know?" She was already swaying and slurring her words a little. Maybe this was her third glass, which made the situation even worse.

"I saw him do it. He spiked the whole bowl and gave Madison some too. Give that to me." She swiped the glass away from Marilyn and threw it down the sink. "Let's sit you down." She put her friend's arm over her shoulder and helped her over to the couch, where she sat her down.

"You're a good friend. Amy." Marilyn slurred as she laid her head down and drifted off to sleep. Amy threw a blanket over her and sighed before grabbing Alex to give him a piece of her mind.

"I saw you spike the punch. What the hell are you trying to do, get arrested?"

"I'm just trying to loosen people up. You should have a glass."

"No thanks. I don't want to get arrested for underage drinking like you will."

"Whatever." He snorted before slipping his hand into hi pocket. Amy spotted a small plastic bag with some powder in it: cocaine. He had drugs too? This was obviously one messed up kid.

"You want some?" He held a joint up to her. As tempting as this was, she stepped back and held her hands in front of her. "No thanks."

"Suit yourself." He pulled out a lighter too and lit the joint, then breathed it in and sighed. Not more than a second later ten people came up to him asking if "he'd brought his stash with him". As soon as the plastic bag came out again, Amy ran towards the door and grabbed her coat. She couldn't stay any longer.

Adam was number two on her speed dial, so she punched in the number quickly while running to the elevator. He picked up on the second ring. "Adam? How fast can you be here?"

He was there in five minutes flat. He hadn't told him why, but apparently she sounded urgent enough that he came right away. She yanked the car door open and climbed in. As Adam took off down the street, he looked worried. "What was wrong? Why did you need to leave?"

"I'll tell you at home." She replied, leaning back and closing her eyes. All of the awful memories came flooding back to her as he turned at corner and sped home, curious about the party.

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"So, why did I need to come get you again?" Adam asked, the two of them perched on the edge of the couch at home.

"Remember some of those parties in Phoenix I used to go to?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It was exactly the same. Except I wasn't the one doing. I was the cautious one."

"Good. You did enough at those parties back in Phoenix, you don't need to screw up your fresh start here."

"It was so hard to say no, Adam. It was only six months ago I was the one dealing and doing, and now…" Amy drifted off. She sighed and rested her head on Adam's shoulder. She couldn't do it again. She couldn't go back to being the way she used to be; it would kill her or get her arrested…..again.


	9. Keeps Getting Better

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

Keeps Getting Better, Chapter 9

Amy did everything possible to distress after talking to Adam. She wrote, played video games, took another shower, watched "Pride and Prejudice", and even took a bubble bath. But nothing could get her mid off of the party right now. She decided to sleep on it, maybe that would help her feel better.

It took a while for her to fall asleep that night, but at some point, Amy just drifted off and slept for twelve hours straight before being woken up by Adam showering and singing the Christina Aguilera song "Keeps Getting Better" in a very bad falsetto voice. She had two text messages on her phone: one from Marilyn and one from Alex.

Marilyn's text was from an hour ago, at 9:40. It read:

_Wat happened 2 u last night? U left fast. Call me, 2 sick 2 text more._

Alex's text was from midnight last night. It read:

_Don't tell or else I'll make ur life hell._

This text made her consider not telling anyone, even though she told Marilyn last night. She called her anyways to see how sick she was, maybe Amy would get lucky and Marilyn wouldn't tell anyone.

"Marilyn? It's Amy. What's up?"

"Why'd you leave so fast last night? I laid down and ten minutes later you had disappeared."

Amy panicked. "I…..I felt sick, so I left. How do you feel?"

Marilyn groaned and shifted. "Awful. I think I got the flu, but I don't have a fever."

Amy sighed in relief. She didn't remember what Amy told her about the vodka! "I don't have a fever either. We both must have it. "

"Yeah. I'm gonna go back to sleep. See you on Monday."

"See you." Amy hung up. At least Marilyn didn't remember what happened so she wouldn't tell everyone. Amy decided to keep her mouth shut, for her own sake.

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For the next few weeks, Amy laid low. She went out for ice cream and pizza with her friends, and the girls went shopping all the time, but every time a party came up, Amy made a different excuse not to go. Adam had something planned that night. She was sick to her stomach. She had a family thing to go to. Her plan worked, and Alex's did too. No one else remembered what Alex did the first night, except Amy and him. Did Amy want to warn her friends what he was up to? Of course. But she couldn't let him torture her. She just couldn't.

Finally, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving came and they got out for vacation until the next Tuesday. Everyone was going to the Caribbean or was having a huge fancy feast at their house. Amy knew her and Adam would probably get takeout again like they did almost every night, which depressed her a little.

That night, Adam was working late, so Amy brought her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, and read in the break room. After only a few minutes of reading, Sheldon walked in with a large pizza and Danny and Flack following him, mouths watering.

"Hey Amy. Adam wanted me to check in on you. He thought you might be hungry. Want some pizza?"

"Absolutely!" Amy grabbed two slices of veggie pizza immediately and started to chow down. The three men talked about the Yankees game and what an idiot Danny was for forgetting Lindsay's birthday…..again. Amy merely listened, amused by their antics, but deep in thought about her Thanksgiving. She had always liked the holiday, even though they were no presents. There was always tons of food and her dad usually worked on Thanksgiving, so it was just mom, Adam, and her. What would this year's Thanksgiving be like?

Mac was walking past the break room and must have noticed her expression, because he came in and grabbed the last slice of pepperoni pizza from under Flack's hand. He took a huge bite, just to rub in it Flack's face.

"Good pizza." Mac chuckled.

"That wasn't cool Taylor. I want my pizza." Flack scowled.

"You've probably eaten enough for all of New York City already. Quit complaining." Flack frowned at Mac and turned his eyes to his empty plate.

"Anyways, I was wondering if any of you had big Thanksgiving plans."

"Nope." Sheldon shook his head.

"Nothing for me and Lindsay." Danny replied.

"I was going to work. Put in a little overtime." Flack said.

"How about you and Adam, Amy?"Mac questioned.

"Nothing special. Why?" Amy was hoping he had something up his sleeve so Thanksgiving wouldn't be a total bust.

"Do you guys want to come to my place for Thanksgiving? It's not that nice, or big, but it's better than each of us individually sitting at home like sad sacks." Amy perked up. Thanksgiving plans! "Me and Adam would love to come."

"I'll come." Each of the men promised. Danny would even convince Lindsay to come, and Mac promised Stella would be there, secretly pleasing Flack. Even Kendall had been invited by Mac, which Amy knew her brother would love.

Angell walked in and frowned. "No pizza left? Thanks guys." She teased. Mac asked of her plans.

"I've got nothing to do. I'd love to come." She smiled, psyched to have plans other than working overtime.

Amy ran off into trace to tell Adam, who was delighted with the plans. Amy couldn't wait for Thanksgiving now!

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At 2:30 promptly, Amy and Adam arrived at Mac's apartment building. They had gotten up extra early and watched the parade from the lab, which was on the parade route. _Watching it live is even better than on TV,_ Amy thought, as the floats passed by in front of them.

They took the elevator up to the top floor and saw Mac greeting Danny and Lindsay at the door. Mac waved all four of them in and took their coats, telling them to make theirselves at home. Adam and Danny grabbed beers, while Lindsay and Stella begged for the store where Kendall got her scarf and shoes.

Once everyone arrived, dinner was served and people sat down to start eating. Danny and Lindsay sat next to each other, obviously, with Flack on the other side of Danny. Stella sat between Flack and Mac, and Angell sat between Mac and Adam. Next to Adam was Kendall, and on the other side of Kendall was Sid. Sid's wife, Audrey, sat next to him and his college age daughter, Caitlin, sat next to her mother. Hannah, Sid's fifteen year-old daughter, sat between her sister and Amy. And Sheldon sat between Amy and Lindsay, to round the seating up.

Mac noticed Danny and Flack taking huge amounts of turkey and stuffing, posing their forks suggesting they were ready to eat.

"Wait guys. We haven't said grace yet." They immediately stopped. They didn't want to disrespect Mac, so they decided to go along with it. They held hands with the people next to them and bowed their heads in prayer, following Mac's example.

"Dear Lord, we thank you for this wonderful meal. We are very blessed to be surrounded by all of the people we love, and we keep in memory those who can't be with us today." Danny remembered his good friend Aiden Burn, while Amy and Adam remembered their mom.

"Amen." Everyone said in sync, and lifted their heads up. Flack and Danny wrestled for the gravy, while squash, green beans, bread, and other foods got passed around the table.

As she spooned green beans onto her plate, Amy remembered why she liked this holiday so much. It made her count her blessings and remember how lucky she is. And this Thanksgiving, she felt especially lucky to be in the greatest city in the world surrounded by good people who loved her brother and were learning more about her. _Yup, I'm pretty lucky,_ she thought as she took a huge bite of cranberry sauce and pushed her hair out of her face.


	10. White Christmas

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

White Christmas, Chapter 10

**Author's Note: please ignore that "Stolen" ever happened. I decided to not complicate things by adding that storyline in, so just read on from here. Thanks to mjels for all of the fantastic reviews, and read on!**

Amy gasped. Standing in front of the large window in the break room, her eyes marveled at the first snow sight of the year. This was an entirely new experience for her, growing up in Phoenix, and she had to share it with someone.

She ran down the hall at full speed easily because of her checkered converse. Sheldon and Mac parted as she raced between them.

"Slow down!" Mac yelled at her as loud as he could, forcefully.

Ignoring Mac, she ran into the coroner's office and whipped her head around.

"Sid!" She shouted.

Sid was startled by her entrance. He jumped a little, showering the office with papers and folders. He sighed heavily and turned around. "Yes?"

"Have you seen my brother?" Amy asked impatiently.

"Not recently."

"Ok Thanks!" She ran to the opposite end of the hall, leaving Sid to pick everything up.

Stella was startled as the sight of the lanky teenager running full speed towards the kitchen in skinny jeans, converse, a shrug sweater and a tank top. Flack was pouring them coffee when Amy tapped loudly on the door, causing him to spill the coffee on his shirt and tie.

"Where's Adam?"

"Geezes kid, its 9:00 AM. Can you be any louder?" Don remarked at her voice volume.

"Sure I can, and I would, but I need to find Adam now. Where is he?"

"In the tech lab with Kendall. Why?" Stella calmly replied, trying not to laugh at Flack grimacing at the coffee stains present on his shirt.

"Tell you later. Thanks!" She took off, her hair and sweater flying everywhere.

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Kendall pecked her boyfriend on the cheek and sat down next to him. "Whatcha looking at?"

"Video footage from yesterday's robbery down on 5th." Adam replied, pausing the video to kiss his girlfriend back. Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his nose, her favorite part of his face. Other than his eyes, of course, which always looked so sweet and innocent, like his smile, another thing she adored about him.

Before anything could actually happen, Adam's sister Amy ran in and jumped up and down. "Adam!"

"What?" He sighed, turning around.

"You have to come with me right now. You too, Kendall."

"Um okay." The lab techs replied at the same time. They giggled and looked at each other longingly.

"Come on! There's no time to be lovey dovey!" She pulled on the sleeve of Adam's shirt and yanked him out of his seat. He grabbed Kendall's hand before Amy could run out the door with the two of them in tow.

She pulled them past the kitchen, attracting the attention of Stella and the still coffee-soiled Flack. They looked at each other and nodded before setting down their coffee and followed the trio.

Amy made a screeching halt with her feet before dragging Adam and Kendall into the break room and to the largest window where she stood not five minutes ago.

"Look Adam!" She pointed to the snow fall and tugged on his shirt at the same time.

"You dragged me out of the lab for snow? What's so special about snow?" He scoffed. Before turning to Kendall, he noticed the sparkle in her eyes and the smile plastered on her face like a neon sign. It finally clicked inside of him.

"OH, I get it now." Besides it being the first snow of the year, it was Amy's first snow in New York, not to mention her first snow ever!

"What's up with the snow?" Kendal asked.

"Yeah, why's it so important?" Stella wondered out loud.

"It's her first now ever." Adam whispered while his sister intensely stared outside.

"How can it be her first snow ever? She lives in New York City, for crying out loud!" Don remarked.

No one answered immediately, so everyone watched the snow fall for a few minutes. When Stella and Flack turned to leave, Amy spoke up.

"I've never left Phoenix, even for vacation, we stayed home all the time, except for one time when we went to Disney when I was six. I've never left the south."

Everyone was shocked. She hadn't said anything for at least ten minutes, and she didn't talk about herself much, just Adam. Don was especially surprised at the first snow thing. He grew up in New York, so he couldn't understand how she'd had had Christmas and New Year's without snow and be okay. _You can't miss what you never had_, he thought, remembering the old saying his mother often said around the house.

Kendall held Adam's hand as they watched the first snowfall together. She smiled and looked at him affectionately. "What do you think of kisses in the snow?"

He looked at her and, as if she told him telepathically what she wanted, he took her down the hallway and into the staircase.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they headed upstairs.

"You'll see." Adam whispered as they passed the eight and final floor.

He held the door open for her like a gentlemen when they reached the top. She walked out and looked up at the sky.

"It's even more beautiful outside." Kendall marveled. Before she could turn around, Adam had her in his arms, swung her around, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put one of his hands on her hip and the other one in her hair, twirling it slightly like she did when she was nervous.

Adam knew it was a bad idea to abandon his sister and make out with his girlfriend on the roof, but she needed time to experience the snow by herself. And besides, kisses during the year's first snow were magical, at least to him.


	11. I'm Yours

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

I'm Yours, Chapter 11

Amy arrived at school with extra excitement. It was Valentine's Day, 2009, and she was hoping for **something** today, even if it was just a valentine from Madison, Dana or Marilyn. In Phoenix, people only did valentines for their crushes, so she assumed it worked the same way here.

To get in the holiday spirit, she wore white converse with pink and red hearts, along with a pink scarf and a red scrunchie. It clashed with her uniform, but she didn't really care because everything she wore clashed with her uniform. The green and red for Christmas season, and the pink and purple for when her teachers told her they celebrate Advent. The orange and black for Halloween and the green she already had planned out for St. Patrick's Day, it all clashed. Dana and Madison both had red flats and red headbands, while Marilyn wore pink tennis shoes and a heart locket that her grandmother gave her.

Marilyn was talking about what she thought Alex would give her, which made Amy mad. She couldn't believe that they were still together and told Marilyn many times that she didn't like him. Dana was with Josh and Madison was with William, so the three of them gushed over the idea of flowers, chocolates and candy while Amy smiled and nodded her head. She was the only single one of the four of them, which made her left out a lot when they double or triple-dated. They weren't being mean; they just didn't want her to feel awkward when she was the only one not paired up at dinner.

Amy didn't want or need a boyfriend; she had the rest of her life to worry about that. Right now, she had her Geometry grade to worry about. If she didn't ace the next two tests, she would fail the course and have to take it over again. Considering how much she hated Geometry, this was a cruel and unusual punishment, so she studied her ass off, leaving her no time for a boyfriend.

Madison and Marilyn took off to their lockers down the hall, while Dana and Amy headed for their lockers in the other direction. They had Study Hall first, which was useless because they ended up talking the whole time instead of actually doing homework like they were supposed to. Amy just grabbed her journal and a few pens, while Dana pulled her iPod out of her backpack and snuck it into her pencil case, also dragging a worn out copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ along.

Dana pulled on the back of Amy's shirt. "Look what Josh left me."

It was a beautiful, handmade card with a cute little note written on the inside that Amy didn't bother to read. As they headed to homeroom, she was a little disappointed by the fact that there wasn't anything in her locker, which is where people leave their valentines.

She was disappointed for long, however, because when they got to their homeroom she found a large bouquet of red roses on her desk. While Dana and Madison fussed over them, she read the little note tucked in the middle,

_Amy,_

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_Sugar is sweet,_

_And so are you._

_Happy Valentines Day._

There wasn't a name on the card, but Amy didn't care. She sniffed the flowers and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. It was turning out to be a pretty good Valentines Day.

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Adam drummed his fingers on the table while he waited for CODIS to get a hit on the fingerprints that Stella brought to him not ten minutes ago. Last year, Valentines Day was the worst day of the whole year. Everyone else was getting flowers and candy and cards and had dates, and he was sitting at home watching _Star Wars_ for the millionth time. This year, however, he had a girlfriend, and big plans for tonight. He was cooking her dinner, while Amy would be out of the way and at Sid's house hanging out with his daughter Hannah.

Steak and Ravioli were the main courses planned for that evening, along with green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn, Kendall's absolute favorite vegetable. He had prepared everything yesterday, and Mac had given him permission to leave to 4:30 PM so he could cook the rest of the meal and get ready before 7, when Kendall was coming.

The dinner seemed so far away; it was only 1 PM and Adam didn't have much work ahead of him. He spotted Kendall headed to the break room and decided to surprise her with an extra present.

"Kendall." He called after her. She stopped and smiled while he ran down the hall and held his arms out in front of him.

"Stay right here. I'll be right back." He told her as he raced to the locker room.

After a few minutes, he returned with a large checkered guitar case. He unzippered it to reveal an acoustic guitar and a black guitar strap. Adam tuned the guitar while Kendall sat down next to him and set her coffee aside. He cleared his throat and chuckled.

"I thought you might want one of your presents early." He took a deep breath before strumming along to song very familiar to Kendall and starting to sing in his sweet, clear voice:

_Well you done done me and you bet I felt it  
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted  
I fell right through the cracks  
Now I'm trying to get back  
Before the cool done run out  
I'll be giving it my bestest  
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention  
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some_

_I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait, I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love  
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing  
We're just one big family  
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved_

_So I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm sure  
There's no need to complicate  
Our time is short  
This is our fate, I'm yours_

_Scooch on over closer dear  
And I will nibble your ear_

_I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror  
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer  
But my breath fogged up the glass  
And so I drew a new face and laughed  
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason  
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons  
It's what we aim to do  
Our name is our virtue_

_But I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours  
Please don't, please don't, please don't  
There's no need to complicate  
Cause our time is short  
This oh this this is out fate, I'm yours!_

Adam face was red with embarrassment when he finished. He didn't sing very often, mostly with hi sister for fun or in the shower, and he wasn't incredible at the guitar.

Kendall seemed to like it, however, because she placed her hand on his cheek and guided his head to face her so she could say thank you (in her own way of course, not using words but not sexual).

The kiss tasted a little coffee-ish, but it was vanilla coffee, which was Adam's favorite. When they pulled away for air, she smiled and blushed bright red, matching Adam's complexion.

"Thanks. That was sweet." After a minute of silence, she clapped her hands together and sat up straight.

"Will you play something else? I like listening to you."

"Ummm okay. What do you want to hear?" Adam asked.

"I don't care, you pick."

He thought for a moment before starting to play another one of Kendall's favorite song, "Waiting on the World to Change". They totally lost track of time in the break room and before Adam knew it, it was 4:30 and time to go prepare for his date. He checked the lab to make sure there wasn't work that needed to be done before putting his guitar away and heading out for his date. This was already the best possible Valentine's Day he could ever ask for.


	12. Gotta Be Somebody

Gotta Be Somebody

Fanfic

Gotta Be Somebody, Chapter 12

"Sit down Adam." Mac asked. Adam was standing in Mac's office and per his request, took a seat in the chair facing his boss's desk.

"Now, in November, we told you that the lab was facing major budget cuts and that your job might be in jeopardy. Do you remember?"

"Yes sir." Adam responded, a little shaky. He hoped this day would never come.

"It's been six months, and we've hold off as long as we can without those genetic analyzers, but more and more murders have been coming through this lab recently. And more and more of them are going cold because we can't get the evidence processed." Mac sighed.

"This doesn't have to do with your performance or anyone else's, but those machines will help bring so many criminals off the streets, we need them in this lab. So I have to let most of the lab techs go."

Mac's heart broke at the last part. Adam had become like a son to him over the past couple of years, and he couldn't stand to force him out. Adam loved his job, and this wasn't fair to him or Kendall or anyone else that was being let go because of the shrinking budget. But there wasn't anything else he could do.

"I understand sir." Adam stood up slowly and stuck his hand out. Mac looked at it in surprise. "It's been an honor to work with you, Detective."

Mac shook his hand in return. "If the budget seems to grow a little, you can expect a call from me. We'll be begging to have you back, but for now, this is the only solution. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. If you hear of anyone looking for a scientist, pass it on." Adam turned away to leave.

"Wait." Adam turned back around.

"Ask Kendall. I hear she knows a lab that needs a few extra sets of hands."

"Thanks Mac." Adam mustered a small smile before exiting the office with his job gone and his spirit crushed into a thousand pieces. He lost his job, his beloved job. Over the few years he worked here, the lab became family to him. Now what would he do?

He walked down the hall, looking into the lab and seeing the lucky people who worked on swing shift and got to keep their jobs, and seeing his fellow lab techs, searching their computers for jobs and calling up other labs around the country to see who could use some help.

When he reached the break room, Kendall was having coffee with a few other techs that has been cut around the small metal table. Adam grabbed a bottle of Pepsi and pulled a chair up next to Kendall.

"Hey guys." He whispered. They all nodded their heads in understanding and looked down into their coffee, pondering what steps they would take next to find a new job, probably what city they would end up in, and if they could ever come back to NYPD, budget permitting.

The clock struck 12 noon outside, and most people had to go back to work for their last shift under Mac Taylor's lab. Kendall and Adam weren't on until 2, however, so they stayed behind.

"You too?" Kendal inquired quietly, only to be responded with a small nod and the sound of the top of a Pepsi untwisting.

"What are we going to do?" Adam wondered out loud, more to himself than Kendall. But she still sighed and sipped the last of her coffee.

"I don't know." She was more worried about her job, but the status of their relationship troubled her. Everything was going great until now, May 2nd, 2009, but now? They would probably have to move to different cities and work at different labs. Lost distance relationships never worked either. _Mac and Peyton couldn't do it, so what makes Adam and me think we can, _she thinks.

Suddenly, her cell phone buzzed and she was brought back to her senses. Pulling out her iPhone, the phone alerted her that she had a new email. It was from . She posted her resume yesterday night, when she got the news about her job. She already had a response?

"?" Adam asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I posted my resume yesterday. That was fast." She opened up the email and her eyes went wide.

"What wrong?" Adam asked.

"It's from Lieutenant Horatio Caine. He's the head of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab." She scrolled through the email a little more before putting her phone on the table.

"They want me to interview me." Kendall stated, still processing the email. "Next week."

"Wow. That's fast." Adam commented. "I hope I get that lucky."

Kendall picked her phone once again and re-read the email. "He asks me if I know any other techs looking for a job because they're short on people." She looked over at Adam. "You interested?"

"What?"

"Want me to ask if they want to interview you? You're looking for a job, you're highly qualified, and it's warm in Miami, like Phoenix."

"I don't know. What about my sister?"

"She seems like a good kid. I bet she'd be willing to do anything for her big brother, including move from her beloved New York City."

Adam didn't think for more than a second. "Sure." He loved New York so much, but he also needed a job, and there was no point in staying here if he couldn't work.

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The interviews had gone excellent, and ten days later, May 12th, 2009, Adam, Amy, and Kendall moved down to Miami. Adam used this as an opportunity for Kendall to move in with them. She was hesitant at first, because of Amy and what she'd think, but Amy was totally open to the idea and psyched at the idea of another girl living with them who she could gossip with.

Their new Miami apartment was only three blocks from the new lab, much more modern and bigger than the New York Crime Lab. It was white on the outside, with a large, slopped staircase leading up to the main doors. Horatio Caine, Adam and Kendall's new boss, met them on the front steps.

"Ms. Novak and Mr. Ross, welcome to Miami." He shook their hands and took his sunglasses off. "I understand you get let go from the New York Crime Lab? Under Mac Taylor?"

"Yes, sir. There were budget cuts, and we got cut, along with quite a few other lab techs." Adam stuttered. This guy was really intimidating, and he couldn't help but stutter a little.

"Well, we're glad to have you." Horatio led them inside and showed them around the lab. He stopped at one lab with a blond woman and a dark haired man in it.

"This is Maxine Valera," he pointed to the woman, "and CSI Ryan Wolfe. They work on the same shift as you two."

"Hey guys." Adam shyly waved.

"Great, the newbies are here." Ryan muttered and Valera walked over to the pair. "Ryan Wolfe." He shook Kendall and Adam's hands.

"Maxine." The woman waved. "I would shake your hands, but I'm in the middle of processing."

"We completely understand." Kendall warmly replied. The men could tell they were going to become good friends already.

They met Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne, two other CSI's, Natalia Boa Vista, a CSI trainee, Frank Tripp, the main homicide detective, and Tara Price, one of the coroners. After intro's , Horatio handed them their new I.D. badges and their lab coats with their names already embroidered into them. He also gave them lockers.

"You have a couple of hours before shift. Socialize, look around." He left them in the locker room.

"Wanna listen to music?" Kendall suggested, pulling out her iPhone.

"Sure." They sat on the metal benches in the locker room, plugged in the head phones and pressed play. The first song to come on was "Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback:

_This time I wonder what it feels like _

_To find the one in this life _

_The one we all dream of _

_But dreams just aren't enough _

_So I'll be waiting for the real thing. _

_I'll know it by the feeling. _

_The moment when we're meeting _

_Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen _

_So I'll be holdin' my breath _

_Right up to the end _

_Until that moment when _

_I find the one that I'll spend forever with _

_'Cause nobody wants to be the last one there. _

_'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares. _

_Someone to love with my life in their hands. _

_There's gotta be somebody for me like that. _

_'Cause nobody wants to go it on their own _

_And everyone wants to know they're not alone. _

_Somebody else that feels the same somewhere. _

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there. _

_Tonight out on the street out in the moonlight _

_And damn it this feels too right _

_It's just like Déjà Vu _

_Me standin' here with you _

_So I'll be holdin'my breath _

_Could this be the end? _

_Is it that moment when _

_I find the one that I spend forever with? _

'_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there _

_'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares. _

_Someone to love with my life in their hands. _

_There's gotta be somebody for me like that. _

_'Cause nobody wants to go it on their own _

_And everyone wants to know they're not alone. _

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere? _

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there. _

_You can't give up! _

_When you're Lookin' for a diamond in the rough _

_Because you never know when it shows up _

_Make sure you're holdin' on _

'_Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on _

'_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there. _

_And everyone wants to feel like someone cares. _

_Someone to love with my life in their hands. _

_There has gotta be somebody for me _

_Ohhhhhh. _

_Nobody wants to go it on their own _

_And everyone wants to know they're not alone. _

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere? _

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there. _

_Nobody wants to be the last one there _

_And everyone wants to feel like someone cares. _

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere? _

_There has gotta be somebody for me out there._

Adam, as usual, listened to the lyrics in-depth, focusing on the chorus and bridge. Who was that somebody out there? Who was that one person? Would he ever find her? Where was she? Had he already met her?

All he had to do was look next to him and realize, he had already met her. She was sitting with him on this funny bench in the locker room of a new job in a new city going home together tonight. _Life can't get much better than this_, he decided, before hitting repeat on the phone to hear it one more time.


End file.
